Crush
by anneryn7
Summary: AU. Clowen. Prom is coming up and I just know that Eli's going to ask me. I don't want to go with him. We're better as friends. "What do you say, Blue Eyes? Do you want to go together?" Eli asked me. I looked around the hallway, searching for someone, anyone to save me. "Clare can't go with you, Eli. She's already going with me. I asked her this morning." Owen lied, smoothly.


**I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION OR THE CHARACTERS.  
Music Credit: "Crush" – Jennifer Paige & "Down on Me" – Jeremih featuring 50 Cent**

* * *

_~*.*~  
_'_I see ya blowin' me a kiss.  
It doesn't take a scientist to understand what's goin' on, baby.  
If you see somethin' in my eye, let's not overanalyze.  
Don't go too deep with it baby._

_So, let it be, what it'll be.  
Don't make a fuss and go crazy over you and me.  
Here's what I'll do, I'll play loose – run like we have a date with destiny._

_It's just a little crush, crush, not like I faint every time we touch.  
It's just some little fling, crush, not like everything I do, depends on you.  
Sha la, la, la…  
Sha la, la, la…'  
~*.*~_

* * *

I've spent all day avoiding Eli. We're friends again and I'm all for it, but I know that he wants more than that. He's been hinting at it all week. Prom is coming up and I just know that he's going to ask me. I don't want to go with him.

I don't want to get back together with him, either. I just… we don't work together. There are reasons that we broke up both times. I think staying friends is for the best and something tells me that he won't agree with me.

I also don't want to be the reason that he flies off the rails, again.

* * *

"Hey Clare!" Eli yelled, running up to me. I groaned, inwardly. He smirked as he caught up with me. No. Don't do it! I pleaded, with my thoughts. His mouth opened and I knew my hopes and dreams were about to come crashing down. Well, shit. "You know, prom is coming up." He started talking. I looked around the hallway, searching for someone, _**anyone**_ to save me. I didn't see anyone that would even try. I sighed. "What do you say, Blue Eyes? Do you want to go together?" He asked me.

My mouth opened and nothing came out. I looked and looked and still saw no one. I cleared my throat and tried to think of the right thing to say to him.

"Clare can't go with you, Eli. She's already going with me. I asked her this morning." Owen lied, smoothly, as he placed an arm around my shoulders. I looked up at him with silent gratitude. Eli looked at us both with outrage.

"You and Owen?!" He echoed, trying to make sense of everything. I nodded.

"Yes, we're going to prom together." I reiterated when Owen had just told him.

"But we're soul-mates! We're meant to be together, Clare! Why can't you see that?!" Eli pleaded. I  
shook my head, uncomfortably.

"We're not soul-mates, Eli. We're better as friends. Every time we date, it's catastrophe. Anyways, Owen already asked me and I'm really looking forward to being his date. We're over Eli. Please, accept that."

"Clare," Eli started. I shook my head.

"I'll talk you, later. I've got to go. We're supposed to go for coffee." I lied, again. I led Owen away from my crazy ex and made a break for it. We made it to my locker, before he said anything. I stopped and opened my locker. I looked up at him, gratefully. "Thanks for the save, Owen. You really didn't have to do that."

"I don't do anything I don't want to do, Clare. You looked like you were going to lose it if he asked you. I didn't want the cause of your mental breakdown on my conscience." He played off my thanks. I laughed and became suddenly aware that his arm was still around me.

"I appreciate it, nonetheless. You don't have to actually go with me. As long as Eli thinks that I have another date, I'll be okay." I tried to assure him. He shook his head. He wasn't having any of that.

"Word would get around if I asked someone else and I needed a date to prom anyway. You helped me kill two birds with one stone. It's a win-win."

"Only if you're sure," I agreed, quietly. He smiled at me and I was momentarily mesmerized. What a nice mouth… He has perfect, straight teeth and plump lips to boot. "If we're going to actually go to prom together, we should probably see if we can stand each other, first." I proposed. He nodded.

"What did you have in mind, Edwards?" He asked me. I bit my lip and tried to think about things other than his good looks and how much I really was attracted to him. "You know, if you keep doing that, I'm not sure we'll actually make it out of the building." He whispered. I looked up at him in surprise.

"Why is that?" I asked him, my lip falling from in between my teeth.

"Because it's a turn on and you're hot enough, already. Give a guy a break." He told me, in a low, husky voice. He backed me up against the lockers next to mine and I all but forgot how to breathe.

"You think I'm hot?" I echoed. He nodded. His eyes flickered across my body, before landing back on mine.

"As much as I'd like to say I like helping a damsel in distress as much as the next guy, if it was anybody else, I probably would have kept walking. You're gorgeous, Clare. A man would have to be blind and stupid not to see it."

"I'm not the only one." I breathed, implying just how attractive I found him. He smirked. "Coffee," I blurted out. He looked at me like I was crazy. "We could… _**should**_ get coffee. Today. Now." I clarified. He chuckled.

"The Dot?" He guessed. I nodded. "Let's go." He moved away from me and grabbed my hand as I shut my locker.

* * *

"I didn't even know that you knew I was alive." I admitted to Owen, as I took a sip of my coffee. He just smirked.

"I could say the same to you."

"You are the guy that propositioned one of my best friends for a blow-job on Vegas night." I teased. His cheeks flushed.

"I forgot that you were friends with her. And you had two guys fighting over you that night. I didn't think you needed another one."

"Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it." He smiled.

"You're not how I thought you'd be." I told him.

"How so?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"You're nice." I answered. He laughed.

"I'm not supposed to be?"

"I guess I didn't really know what to expect." I admitted.

"I could say the same thing. You don't act so saintly anymore." He replied. I blushed.

"I grew up. Everyone has to at some point."

"You grew up, _**very**_ nicely."

"So did you," I flirted back with him, shamelessly. We're both single. What's the harm?

* * *

Owen and I exchanged numbers after our coffee date. He walked me home and we kept talking. He called me that night and we've been texting throughout all of our classes. It's only been a week, but I think it's safe to say that I've developed feelings for him.

Prom is tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited. I went dress shopping with Jenna and Alli after their initial shock over my choice in prom date wore off.

I decided on a sleeveless midnight blue, silk-chiffon, goddess inspired gown. It's gorgeous and I feel beautiful in it. It's unconventionally sexy. The neckline is modest and it flows a hair past my feet. There are gold beaded accents on one of the shoulders and on the waist that almost looks like a belt. It hugs me in all the right places and compliments my body in ways that I didn't think were possible.

Alli dragged me to the shoe store. After I tried on pair after pair of heels, I spotted a pair of flat, gold gladiator sandals. Despite Alli swearing that I shouldn't pick flats, I knew I found the shoes for prom.

The three of us got our nails done. I got midnight blue to match my dress. We agreed to get ready at my house and then our dates could just pick us up from there. We all pitched in and agreed on a limo.

* * *

I put on my sandals and looked at the finished product. Alli wouldn't let me see anything as she did my hair and makeup.

My hair was curled, but some of it was pulled back, into an intricate looking knot and held with a jeweled barrette. My eyes were the 'wow factor'. She played up my eyes and they shimmered and looked seductive.

"Alli, thank you!" I squealed. She laughed as I hugged her. "You and Jenna both look amazing." I told them as I looked at both of them. Jenna is a dream in pink and Alli in red.

The doorbell rang and we all headed downstairs, nervously. Jenna opened the door to a very Bond looking Owen. I smiled. His jaw dropped when he saw me.

"Wow, Clare, you look… Wow." He breathed. I walked over to him and stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He moved at the last second and my lips collided with his. I pulled away, blushing. He just smirked and slipped my corsage onto my wrist. "You look gorgeous." He whispered.

"You clean up nicely." I complimented him. His smirk grew even broader.

"How nice?" He replied.

"So hot," I responded, playfully. We made it out the door, when Eli pulled up. His face fell when he saw us together.

"You're actually going with him?" Eli asked, outraged. I looked from him to Owen and nodded. "Wearing that?!" He demanded.

"Eli… he's my date. We told you that we were going together." I answered, as soon as the surprise wore off.

"I thought you were just saying that…" Eli said, quietly.

"We're dating, Goldsworthy." Owen spoke up. Eli looked heartbroken and vengeful. I slipped my hand into Owen's and squeezed it.

"I…" Eli started. "We're not over, Clare. I'm not just going to let you go." He vowed.

"It's not your choice, Eli." I told him, as Connor and Dallas pulled up in the limo. "That's our ride. Bye Eli."

* * *

After a few minutes spent explaining the Eli situation to Connor and Dallas, everyone let it go. I didn't want to think about Eli tonight. I just wanted to enjoy this with Owen. Isn't that what prom is for anyway?

* * *

"Will you dance with me, Clare?" Owen asked me. I nodded and took a sip of my punch, before placing it down on our table, with my gold clutch.

"I would love to." I smiled. He helped me to my feet and we made our way to the dance floor. It's an upbeat song. Owen stood behind me and set his hands on my hips. He started moving to the music and I started to grind against him.

'_Oh, you look so sweet – what you work at Bally's?  
Look at your physique – girl, you are a beauty.  
Well, I am a beast.  
They must have been trippin' to have left me off a leash.'_

Owen's hands caressed my sides and pulled me closer to him. I can feel his growing arousal press against me. He moved his lips to my neck and started to kiss me. I groaned. His lips moved to my ear and his sucked my earlobe in between his teeth. I hissed and felt a warm gush wet my panties.

'_I love the way you grind, with that booty on me.  
Shorty, you a dime – why you lookin' lonely?  
Go buy another round and it's all on me.  
As long as I'm around, put it down on me.'_

We dirty danced until the song ended. I moved away from him as the music changed. He spun me around to face him and fused our mouths together. I locked my arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. He pulled away too soon, for my liking.

"As much as I like kissing you, maybe we should take this somewhere else." He suggested, softly. I could barely hear him over his sexy lips and those eyes. _**God**_, those _**eyes**_…

"Okay," I agreed, softly.

* * *

We ended up in the coat closet, lip-locked and groping, for God knows how long. We didn't take things any further, but it felt intimate and I relished in that feeling. Owen makes me feel so many things that I've never felt before. I love it.

"They're going to notice we're gone." I breathed, reluctantly. Owen chuckled at my reaction. I can feel my lips swell and Owen looks just as disheveled as I feel. There's no going to be no question what we were in here doing. Not that I care. I've enjoyed myself, tonight.

"I graduate soon." Owen said, out of the blue. My attention turned onto what he was telling me. I felt a pang in my chest. I knew it was soon, but it still crept up on me.

"I know." I told him, sadly.

"That doesn't mean that we have to stop seeing each other." He clarified. Did he really? Did he just? Did he say, what I think he just said? I tried not to get my hopes up. "I know that we've never labeled this, but I'd like to. The university I'm going to isn't that far from here. We can make it work and still be able to see each other. I'd like to give this a chance. I mean, we have all summer before I'd have to move, anyway. What do you say, Clare? Be my girl?" He proposed. I smiled and nodded, reattaching my lips to his.

"Yes!" I cried. He snickered against my lips, but kissed me, anyway. "I thought you'd never ask."

"And to think… it all started out with a crush." He mused.

"You had a crush on me?" I asked, pulling away just enough to ask my question. He nodded.

"I thought that much was obvious."

"It's obvious now."

"Good." He smirked. "I didn't say you had to stop kissing me."

* * *

_~*.*~  
_'_It's raisin' my adrenaline.  
You're bangin' on a heart of time.  
Please, don't make too much of it, baby.  
Say the word, 'Forevermore', that's not what I'm lookin' for.  
All I can commit to is, 'Maybe'._

So, let it be, what it'll be.  
Don't make a fuss and go crazy over you and me.  
Here's what I'll do, I'll play loose – run like we have a date with destiny.

_It's just a little crush, crush, not like I faint every time we touch.  
It's just some little fling, crush, not like everything I do, depends on you.  
Sha la, la, la…  
Sha la, la, la…'  
~*.*~_

* * *

**A/N: This isn't my first Clowen one-shot and it certainly won't be my last! :) Review?  
-Anneryn**


End file.
